As Hongjun was on the verge of defeat, Tai Wu quickly formed a hand seal, filling the air with divine birds of exotic fire, weaving through each other like a dense net. With every clear chirp, they surged towards Mo Qi like a tide.
Mo Qi was in a critical moment of his battle with Hongjun and had no time to be distracted.
If he were to be distracted, Hongjun would undoubtedly recover.
Therefore, he glanced at Xiao Rong.
Min Xiao Rong understood. With a wave of her delicate jade hand, a dense red mist emanated, instantly enveloping the divine birds of exotic fire. As the red mist spread, it tore at them, eliciting continuous cries of agony.
In a moment, the red mist dissipated, and the divine birds of exotic fire vanished along with it.
What kind of power was this?
It was too terrifying!
Tai Wu stood there stunned. Min Xiao Rong waved her hand again, and the red mist surged out once more, striking Tai Wu with astonishing speed. The Great Wind Novel Network.
Tai Wu's pupils widened. Instinctively, he unleashed divine birds of exotic fire. The myriad birds had just taken shape when they were shattered. Following them was Tai Wu's body, which was torn to pieces and scattered in the air.
"Ah!" Qin Xiao shrieked in madness, her eyes about to burst, and lunged at Min Xiao Rong.
Min Xiao Rong remained expressionless. She waved her hand again, and the red mist roared out, overwhelming like a tidal wave, rumbling like surging giants.
Qin Xiao did not use divine power; she attacked in a frenzy, intending to tear Min Xiao Rong apart.
But how could she get close to Xiao Rong?
Just as she was about to vanish into thin air, Mo Qi shouted, "Show mercy!"
Hearing his voice, Min Xiao Rong immediately unleashed the "Xi Zi Jue" (Sucking Technique), attempting to draw back the previous red mist.
However, the previous red mist flowed like a sea and moved as swiftly as lightning. The Sucking Technique only managed to draw back some of the red mist. Most of it merely slowed down, still hurtling towards Qin Xiao.
Qin Xiao seemed destined to die.
At that moment, a figure suddenly pierced through from the side. With a swing of a magical artifact, white light surged, meeting the red mist.
It was Mo Qi!
He had already knocked Hongjun to the ground and seized the opportunity to fly forward to block Xiao Rong's attack.
With a deafening roar, the two collided, and light and energy shattered in the air like glass fragments.
Both Mo Qi and Qin Xiao were sent flying backward, crashing to the ground.
Mo Qi quickly got back on his feet.
Qin Xiao, however, was on the verge of death, her eyes spitting venomous glares at Mo Qi. She said intermittently, "Don't think... don't think... I'll be grateful just because you saved me... I hate you."
With that, she closed her eyes.
Mo Qi felt for her breath, and she was no longer breathing.
Mo Qi's heart turned cold.
But he had no time for grief or a thorough examination. He placed Qin Xiao's body in a box, hoping to revive her in the future.
The other shrimp soldiers and crab generals, seeing that Tai Wu was dead and their morale and fighting spirit completely gone, fled in disarray.
Only Hongjun remained in the field, still lying on the ground, unable to get up for a long time.
Mo Qi was too lazy to bother with his fate. He snatched the Taiji Diagram, called out to Zhu Yan and Xiao Rong, and continued forward.
Mo Qi's heart was in turmoil, filled with immense grief.
After all, a woman who had once loved him so deeply had died before his eyes, and it was impossible to remain unmoved.
Yet, his expression remained calm, as if nothing had happened.
Everyone had their own mission, and Qin Xiao was fulfilling hers. It was impossible to say whether it was right or wrong. If one had to pinpoint the mistake, it was that opposing sides should not have met.
The three, each lost in their own thoughts, headed straight for the pond.
The gate was still accessible, and Xiao Qi had still not discovered anyone intruding.
The three quietly crept to the edge of the pond.
However, this time, they intended to control the pond, which meant they had to get past Xiao Qi.
Zhu Yan believed that to delay meeting Hongjun's true form for as long as possible, Xiao Qi should be dealt with as quickly and quietly as possible.
Mo Qi agreed with her reasoning, and the three meticulously planned outside.
At this moment, the three acted entirely according to the plan.
Zhu Yan and Xiao Rong hid in the forest, while Mo Qi went to lure the enemy.
Mo Qi used his invisibility and spatial arts, causing fluctuations in the air.
The ever-cautious Xiao Qi immediately sensed the anomaly in the air. However, he was unsure if an outsider had trespassed, so he dared not alert his master.
After a moment of hesitation, he ran into the forest, never to return.
A moment later, Mo Qi, Zhu Yan, and Min Xiao Rong arrived at the pond, each standing in a different direction.
Zhu Yan said, "As long as the stones inside are moved, the corresponding star worlds will shift accordingly."
"Can this power even resist the suction of that black hole?" Mo Qi asked with some confusion.
"We'll know once we try," Zhu Yan replied.
As she spoke, Zhu Yan began to act, unleashing her divine power and moving the stones.
Under everyone's focused gaze, the stones gradually moved away from the black hole.
"There's hope!" Mo Qi exclaimed with joy and immediately joined the fray, working with Zhu Yan to move the stones.
Xiao Rong also joined in without delay.
Meanwhile, inside the house, the old man with the black beard and the old man with the white beard were still playing chess.
The white-bearded Hongjun suddenly frowned, "I feel something is amiss with the commotion outside. Has something happened?"
"What could happen to those little insects? Don't worry about it. Xiao Qi can handle it. Focus on your chess. Are you saying you don't want to play anymore after winning a few games?" the black-bearded man said with a hint of anger.
Hongjun glared, "How could I be so petty? I genuinely feel that something has changed outside. Let's go out and take a look."
"No," the old man with the black beard said stubbornly, "Wait until I win this game, and then you can go out. Or, you can concede this game."
Hongjun hesitated for a moment and said, "Winning is winning, and losing is losing; it all depends on skill. If I concede, your victory won't be glorious. How about this: I'll throw out a Heaven and Earth Mirror Ring to stabilize the pond, and then I can play chess with you with peace of mind."
As he spoke, Hongjun spread his hand, and a magical artifact appeared. Without any hesitation, the artifact flew out of his hand.
Outside, Mo Qi, Zhu Yan, and Xiao Rong instantly felt as if dark clouds had covered the sky, and a powerful force descended upon them like a mountain pressing down.
Zhu Yan's face changed drastically, "It's the Heaven and Earth Mirror Ring! Hurry, if we don't leave now, we'll all be frozen."
With that, Zhu Yan leaped up and headed into the forest.
"To leave at this moment would be to abandon all our efforts," Mo Qi said with a frown.
But Zhu Yan continued to leave without looking back.
Mo Qi sighed and looked at Xiao Rong, "You should go too. I'll hold on for a little longer."
Min Xiao Rong glanced at Mo Qi and said, "If you don't leave, I won't leave either."
So, the two continued to unleash their divine abilities, moving the stones. The stones slowly returned to their original positions.
Both Mo Qi and Min Xiao Rong were shocked to find their bodies gradually stiffening, turning to stone. They tried to move but couldn't, as if they were truly frozen.
Mo Qi panicked, using all his might. Spatial arts, lightning divine abilities, fire divine abilities... none of them could be unleashed.
It seemed he was destined to die today.
However, he had accomplished a great feat before his death, so it was not a meaningless end.
But at that moment, Min Xiao Rong's body underwent a transformation.
Her body was gradually covered by a layer of red mist, and her physical form itself became ethereal, gradually turning into red mist.
Mo Qi seemed to realize what she was about to do and said nervously, "What are you doing? Don't be foolish."
"I will not die. At most, I will fall into a deep slumber for tens of millions of years. After tens of millions of years, I will be reborn, and then we will meet again... and continue our predestined relationship... You must let this world continue to exist, not let it restart. You must let me see that my choice was correct," Min Xiao Rong's voice, filled with reluctance, grew weaker and weaker.
Her body became increasingly ethereal, and in a moment, she completely transformed into red mist.
The Creation Divine Leaf drifted into Mo Qi's hand.
The red mist slowly permeated Mo Qi's body, like a cloud with wings, lifting his body and moving him away.
The light emitted by the Heaven and Earth Mirror Ring continuously circled, attempting to trap him, but the red mist repelled it layer by layer.
Mo Qi, sitting on the red cloud, slowly moved towards the forest.
His petrified body gradually returned to normal.
His heart was filled with sadness; everything had happened too suddenly.
Xiao Rong had been so full of life just a moment ago, and the next moment she was gone.
This was how it was when great calamities struck; no one could be sure they would be alive the next moment.
For the majority to survive the tribulation, a few had to make sacrifices.
Xiao Rong's parting words, "continue our predestined relationship," indicated she had truly developed feelings.
Unknowingly, he owed another debt of gratitude.
He could only hope that he would have the chance to repay her in this lifetime.